2S38 Derivaciya

     Notes: The 2S38 was designed as a light AAA platform for airborne, air assault, and naval infantry units.  As of 2019, it was just entering LRIP and field tests. It is also possible that the 2S38 is more a technology demonstrator than a vehicle destined for full-rate production.

     The base chassis is that of a BMP-3 IFV, and uses a 500-horsepower turbocharged diesel engine, with power steering.  The 2S38 is primarily meant to counter low-flying aircraft, including helicopters. UAVs, low-flying aircraft, and unusually, air-to-ground missiles.  The gun is capable of engaging low flying aircraft with a speed up to 1800 kmh. A secondary role is the engagement of LCVs and unarmored vehicles, and to engage infantrymen in buildings. The 2S38 uses a large RWS which mounts a single 57mm autocannon of a new design. The 2S38 furthermore has a medium machinegun in another RWS.

     The 2S38 has a very comprehensive fire control suite, including night vision, FLIR, VAS, and IRST, as well as more conventional laser rangefinders, advanced stabilization, automatic turret slewing, day/night enhanced vision devices, as well as radar.  This radar does not use a dish swinging back and forth; instead, it uses a pulse-doppler system more like that of a fighter aircraft.  Fire from the 2S38 is precise enough to sometimes take down MRL rockets in flight.

     Not much is known about the vehicle’s 57mm autocannon.  It is not the old S-60, however; it is a belt-fed, long-barreled cannon (about L/60) with a fume extractor and muzzle brake at the tip.  The gun is mounted in an unmanned turret, with the three crewmembers seated in the forward part of the hull ahead of the turret in armored capsules.   The gun is capable of 120 RPM, and can be depressed to -5 degrees and elevated to 75 degrees. Current examples of the 2S38 carry only 148 rounds for its autocannon; however, a production example will likely have a much greater ammunition load, and there are already reports out of Russia of 2S38s with significantly increased ammunition load. Atop this turret is another RWS, armed with a Pechneg machinegun.  The rear of the 2S38 has entry and exit doors, which are also used for reloads and general resupply.

     The gunner’s station is partially automatic; the gunner can designate a target, and the turret will slew into position with the gun elevating or depressing as necessary.  The radar can be used to track targets in motion, with the turret keeping up with the target automatically.  The radar is coupled with the VAS and other vision devices to give the equivalent of a fighter aircraft’s Target ID capability.

     The rear of the vehicle also houses a UTD-29 V-10 turbocharged diesel, a development of the BMP-3’s engine, developing 500 horsepower. Transmission is manual, but the brakes and steering is power-boosted. The 2S38 is fully amphibious without preparation, and in water the vehicle is propelled by two waterjets.  In the front, under the glacis, is a self-entrenching blade, allowing the 2S38 to dig its own fighting positions. The TS, TF, HF, and HS have lugs for ERA. The base armor is unusual; while most of the armor is of aluminum alloy, the glacis is of composite armor.  The 2S38 has a cluster of four smoke grenade clusters on each side of the hull; in addition, it can generate a thick, oily smoke screen by injecting diesel into its exhaust.

     The 2S38 is equipped with a vehicle state computer/monitor and a BMS.

     I have chosen to simulate a fully operational 2S38 below.

*Roof AFV for the turret and hull are AV3. Floor AV is 5.

BTR-ZD Skrezhet

     Notes: This is a BTR-D topped with a turret containing a ZU-23-2 antiaircraft gun setup.  The Skrezhet (rough translation: shrieker) is designed for local air defense and fire support for airborne and naval infantry units.  The turret is open-topped and only has a frontal gun shield. In addition to the ZU-23-2, the BTR-ZD carries two complete MANPADS teams, normally armed with SA-18 SAMs. The launchers are carried in racks on the right side of the roof of the fighting compartment and the interior carries reloads for the SA-18s plus ammunition for the ZU-23-2. The bow machineguns are PKB general purpose machineguns (instead of the PKTs of the BMD-1) and may be removed from the BTR-ZD and used as ground weapons if desired; tripods are also carried on the BTR-ZD for this purpose. Traverse for the bow machineguns is limited, allowing 15 degrees up and down and only about 25 degrees from side to side.

     The engine is a 270-horsepower 5D-20 diesel engine, giving the BTR-ZD good power for its light weight; the transmission is manual. Armor protection is surprisingly good given the light weight.  The suspension is specially designed for the BTR-ZD’s role; it is a variable-height hydropneumatic suspension that allows the BTR-D to “squat” when being carried in aircraft and being airdropped.  The roadwheels are likewise small, and the tracks are a mere 230mm wide.  The side effect of this suspension appears to be a relatively decent ride.  The BTR-ZD is amphibious with a little preparation – a trim vane must be erected, bilge pumps turned on, and a periscope must be inserted into a socket and extended by the driver.  The bilge pump has a manual backup. This takes 10 minutes.  Propulsion in the water is by hydrojets. The hydrojets have shutters which allow for surprising maneuverability when swimming – the BTR-ZD can turn a complete circle in place while floating.  This is aided by the hydrojets’ being able to suck in water as well as expel it.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The BTR-ZD is not normally found outside of Russian, Polish, and Czech units, though a few were supplied to Iraq before the war. 

Novator/Kalinin 2K11 Krug (SA-4 Ganef)

     The 2K11 was formerly used by Russia and by Bulgaria, Hungary, and Poland.  It now only equips several Third World nations in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Africa, as well as Azerbaijan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. It stretches the limits of the designation "tactical" due to its size, but is used in that role.  The complete system includes the launcher described below; radar vehicles also described below, and Ural-375 trucks for resupply.  The radar vehicles are essential; the firing vehicle has no radar or guidance equipment for the missiles.  The Long Track tracking radar unit is based on an AT-T chassis, while the Pat Hand fire control radar is based on the same chassis as the Ganef.

     The firing unit is on a GM-123 chassis; the GM chassis is common to several Russian TELs for SAMs and some larger gun and gun/missile antiaircraft units, as well as some radar units and command vehicles for antiaircraft units. This vehicle is a conventional tracked chassis designed to be modular and able to be used by different types of systems. The GM-123 is powered by 710-horsepower multifuel engine, with transmission able to shift between operating the radar or missile launcher and motive functions.

     The 1S12 Armour (NATO reporting name: Long Track) target acquisition unit, also known as the P-40 (though there is a difference between the P-40 and 1S12 – the 1S12 has additional radio antennas to better communicate with other elements of the Krug system) is on an AT-T chassis that is equipped with a 465-horsepower diesel engine. The 1S12 also has a 7 kW APU based on a gas turbine engine to power the enormous radar when the vehicle’s engine is off. The radar set also has incorporated an IFF interrogator instead of having a separate IFF antenna. The 1S12 has a range of 370 kilometers, though early versions of the 1S12 have a range of only 170 kilometers. The large parabolic fence-type antenna is about a meter tall and three meters wide, and folds for transport.

     The 1S32 Kpyr (NATO reporting name: Pat Hand) uses a GM-123 chassis, and is a target tracking and missile guidance radar unit. Operating in the C Band, the 1S32 is a coherent pulse radar which can detect targets at a range of 130 kilometers.  At a range of 90 kilometers, target tracking is automatically initiated. The dish is about a meter wide and circular. To either side of the main dish are smaller dishes which further enhance the targeting and provide an antenna to lock-on the Krug missiles. The antenna installation also includes an optical tracking device.

Vympel 2K12 Kub (SA-6 Gainful)

     Notes: This Russian SAM vehicle is known as the 2K12 Kub in Russian service.  (The export version is called the Kvadrat, but is identical.)  Two versions exist; the standard Kub consists of a radar vehicle and one or more launcher vehicles, while the 2K12M3 does not require a separate radar vehicle.  Reloads are carried by modified Zil-131 trucks.  It is also a large missile for a tactical deployment, though not as large as the 2K11. The 2K12M and 2KM1 are virtually identical; the 2K12M is the modernized version of the Kvadrat, while the 2K12M1 is the modernized version of the Kub. The 2K12M3 was an abortive version which did not solve the required problems; design work proceeded to the 2K12M3. The primary difference between the 2K12 Kub and the 2K12M/M1 is that the 2K12M/M1 have a rating of ECCM 1. The 2K12M4 is able to use the radar of the 9K37 Buk SAM system. The early 2K12 vehicle requires a radar vehicle, as it does not carry tracking equipment of its own.  2K12-based systems can also use the radar of the 2K11 Krug, the 1S12 and 1S32 systems.

     1S91 SPRGU (Self-Propelled Reconnaissance and Guidance Unit) has the NATO reporting name of Straight Flush. It has a detection range of 75 kilometers, and can begin to acquire lock-ons at 28 kilometers. The 1S91 can only have two lock-ons at a time, and can only guide two missiles at once (whether they are aimed as a single target or two separate targets). The 1S12 or 2K12M3/4 may use optical guidance and tracking (in essence, manual steering) in intense ECM environments. The 1S91 can be ready to scan in as little as 15 minutes after a stop.

     Both the 2K12 and 1S91 are carried on a PTS variant chassis.

     This system is used by a variety of countries, including Russia, Algeria, Bulgaria, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, Hungary, India, Iraq, Libya, Poland, Romania, Syria, Tanzania, Vietnam, Yemen, and Yugoslavia.  The 2K12M3/M4 version is primarily used by former members of the Warsaw Pact and Syria.

Almaz-Antey 9K37 Buk (SA-11 Gadfly/SA-17 Grizzly/SA-27 Gollum)

     Notes: This Russian SAM system is designed to fill the gap between the long-range S-200/300/400 SAM systems and the short-range Tor and Pantsyr SAM systems, filling the role that the near-obsolescent 2K12 Kub filled. Though it does have some use against fast moving aircraft, the primary responsibility of the 9K37 system is helicopters, UAVs, cruise missiles, and smart bombs and shorter-range missiles.  The 9K37 is designed to be fast-responding and to have a large explosive envelope to ensure destruction of medium and short-range threats, and to detect and respond to the threats that Tor and Pantsyr cannot. The base system in the 9K37 series has the NATO reporting name of SA-11 Gadfly; the upgraded systems 9K317 Buk-M1-2 and Buk-M2 are so enhanced in ability that NATO gave it a new reporting name of SA-17 Grizzly. The Buk-M3 also has a leap in capability, and has received the NATO reporting designation of SA-27 Gollum. Currently, the Buk, Buk-M1 and M2 are used by 16 countries; Russia still uses some, and it is by a number of European, Middle East, and South Asian countries, as well as users such as North Korea and Venezuela.  Former users include Finland and Syria (the current Syrian regime has expressed some doubts as to whether they have the technical expertise to operate the Buk system). Argentina currently has a bid in for the Buk-M2E system. The 9K37 began as a progressive upgrade of the 2K12 Kub-M3, and was originally designated the Kub-M4, but quickly grew beyond that system. Combat use includes the Russo-Georgian War, the Russo-Ukrainian War, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the second Nagorno-Karabakh War.  Some use in Syria is believed, but not confirmed.  One infamous use of the Buk was to shoot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine in 2014.

     The Buk uses a TELAR (Transporter-Erector-Launcher And Radar) vehicle, with each 9K37 having its own radar receiver and transmitter, as well as having access to a TAR (Target Acquisition Radar) dedicated air defense radar vehicle which accompanies the TELARs and provides expanded coverage. (Legacy Kub-M2 and M3 systems are also interoperable with this dedicated Buk radar vehicle as well as the Buk TELAR’s radar.)

     The baseline Buk was quickly improved upon and the Buk-M1 was the first iteration to be adopted in meaningful quantities. The Buk-M1 is designed to work in high-ECM environments and has an ECCM rating of 1. The Buk-M1 is capable of taking out targets as small as commercial UAVs (extreme overkill!) and AGM-88 HARM antiradiation missiles.  A Buk-M1 launcher needs five minutes after a stop before it is ready to fire the first missile, and about five minutes to go out of action again and resume movement, though a quick-displacement move of no more than 200 meters may be undertaken in about 20 seconds. If stopped, the Buk-M1 takes about 22 seconds from target ID to lock on and fire a missile at the target. The Buk-M1 may guide up to two missiles at once, though it may only have one lock-on. The Buk-M1 TELAR has a detection range of 80 kilometers and an acquisition/lock-on range of 42 kilometers. Backup sights consist of an electro-optical system based on TV, LLTV, and Image Intensification, with a range of 20 kilometers. The Buk-M1-2 uses most of the same hardware as the Buk-M1 but uses a version of the superior 9M317 missile of the Buk-M2.

     The TELs normally use the TAR’s radar, though they can also tap into a TELAR’s radar. The reload vehicle for the Buk systems resembles the TELAR, but has a large crane instead of a radar system and the reload missiles on a lock-down transport system. The reload vehicle takes about 13 minutes to reload a TELAR or TEL.

     The 9K37 TAR system has a target acquisition radar called the 9S18, and has the NATO reporting name of Snow Drift. This is combined with the 9S35 H/I-band tracking and engagement radar (NATO reporting name Fire Dome). The combination is able to detect targets at 85 kilometers, though if the target is at an altitude of 100 meters, this range falls to 50 kilometers, and at a lower altitude, this detection range falls to 10-20 kilometers, depending upon altitude. The radar vehicle has a cone of detection of 90 degrees, while the TELAR has a detection cone of 45 degrees.

     The Buk-M2 features an improved missile as well as a more advanced phased-array radar system able to target and lock on to up to four targets at once, and track up to 24 targets. The radar antenna of the Buk-M2 is on a 21-meter boom, which allows it to be raised above ground clutter. The Buk-M2 system operates with ECCM 2 and has Track While Scan capability. The Buk-M2 radar has an acquisition range of 120 kilometers and a lock-on range of 70 kilometers. The Buk-M2 TAR has an acquisition range of 140 kilometers, operates with ECCM 2 and has Track While Scan capability; it can also track up to 75 objects.

     The Buk-M3 also has an improved missile; some sources give the Buk-M3 an advanced PESA radar, while a few say it has an AESA radar. (I’m going with advanced PESA here.) The Buk-M3’s radar retains the 21-meter mast, it operates with ECCM 2 and has Track While Scan capability, as well as Advanced IFF. It can track up to 36 targets, generate 10 lock-ons at once and guide all its missiles to one target of four separate ones, as well as furnishing lock-ons to TELs and other TELARs. Acquisition range is 120 kilometers, and the lock-on range is 70 kilometers. The Buk-M3 missiles are mounted in 6-round package launchers, with the missiles inside in a more compact package than Buk-M1 and Buk-M2 launchers. Buk-M3 TELs are similar, but again without the radar package. The Buk-M3 TAR is capable of engaging up and generating lock-ons with up to 36 targets at once, and is able to track up to 120 targets at once. The acquisition range is 150 kilometers, and the lock-on range is 100 kilometers. The Buk-M3 TAR can track ballistic missile warhead threats and aerial threats at the same time. It operates with ECCM 2 and has Track While Scan capability, as well as Advanced IFF.

     The Buk-MB is a Belarusian modification of the Buk-M1; its primary modification is its use of more modern electronics and components, and interoperability with modern radar and C4I systems.  The Buk-MB may fire 9M38, 9M38M1, and 9M317 missiles. The Buk-MB operates with an ECCM 2 rating, has a Track While Scan capability, and is equipped with a long-range (12-kilometer range) laser rangefinder. The Buk-MB has up-to-date computers and electronics, but uses the same radar as the Buk-M1, though rebuilt with modern components – 80% of the components are replaced by modern ones, and the rebuilt radar is a PESA equivalent.

     The chassis of the Buk-M1 is a GM vehicle with an INA 710-horsepower turbocharged diesel engine. The Buk-M2, M3, and MB upgrade this to an 840-horsepower multifuel engine. All Buk vehicles have a 20 kW APU to power systems with the vehicles’ engines off.

     Unable to keep up the supply of Buk missiles, the Ukrainians have integrated the RIM-7 (largely RIM-162 variants of the RIM-7) Sea Sparrow onto the Buk-M1 TELARs and TELs and made them interoperable with the TARs. I will take care of this on the Ukrainian Tracked SP Antiaircraft page.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Most Buks are Buk-M1 units, but some Guards formations as well as Buks accompanying Soviet Government elements have Buk-M2 battalions or smaller Buk-M2 units.  The Buk-M3 and Buk-MB do not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

KB Tochmash 9K35 Strela-10 (SA-13 Gopher)

     Notes: The Strela-10 is a tracked, armored, surface-to-air missile system. It carries four 9M35 SAMs on an MTLB chassis. The missiles are carried on the top of the vehicle in erectable launcher rails. Some versions have a radar link to an air defense radar. The layout is the same as the MTLB except for the hatches on the rear deck.  This vehicle is used by Russia, Afghanistan, Algeria, Bulgaria, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, India, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Poland, and Syria. The 9K35 has seen combat use in the Angolan Civil War, Desert Storm, the Kosovo War, the Syrian Civil War., the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict, the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, and the Wagner Group Rebellion.

     The engine of the 9K35 is a 240-horsepower YaMZ-238 diesel engine.  This engine, while only modest in power for an armored vehicle, generates considerable torque and the 9K35 is capable of towing 6.5 tons. The treads can be replaced with tracks almost twice as wide as normal (585mm) for even better performance in snow and swamps; in this guise, the vehicle is referred to as the 9K35V. Like most Soviet-designed vehicles of the period, the 9K35’s suspension is of conventional torsion bars and has shock absorbers on the first and last set of roadwheels.  Construction of the 9K35 is largely of steel and armor is rather thin, especially on the sides and rear.

     There is a hatch in the front left for the driver with the commander on the right side of the front. The driver can replace his front vision block with a night vision block, and the commander has a small, short-range WL/IR searchlight with a range of about 40 meters; this is primarily to aid the driver when driving at night. The engine is in the front of the vehicle. A small aisle between the commander and driver gives access to the fighting compartment. The fighting compartment has two large doors on the rear face; the firing ports are plated over.

     In addition to 9M35 missiles, the 9K35 is backwards compatible with the 9M31M (SA-9) missiles and can aim, lock-on, and fire the earlier missiles.

Almaz-Antey 9K330 Tor (SA-15 Gauntlet)

     Notes: This is a newer Russian-made air defense vehicle used by Russia and in small numbers by China (perhaps 15 in all by that country).  The vehicle has the missiles and radar contained within it for a self-contained system in a VLS in the turret.  The Tor is normally accompanied by one or more resupply vehicles on the same chassis carrying 16 missiles each and a crane for reloading.  The chassis is the same as the abortive ZSO-30-4, but the engine is more powerful, a V-12 829-horsepower turbocharged diesel. The Tor has seen combat service in the Russo-Georgian War, the Syrian Civil War, and the conflict in Ukraine.  Tor systems have been implicated in shoot-downs and damaging of several civilian aircraft, probably by mistake, but in some instances perhaps not.

     The basic Tor radar can detect and track targets while the vehicle is on the move, but must stop to lock on and fire.  Once fired, the missiles may be guided and lock-ons maintained while the Tor is in motion. The Tor radar can track 48 targets at once and can two missiles to a target simultaneously, with tracking range out to 25 km. The Tor-M1 can guide two missiles to two separate targets simultaneously. In early 2023, some “fine-tuning” was conducted on operational Tor systems to allow it to target, track, and intercept HIMARS missiles. The Tor’s PESA radars operate in the F-Band, and use a pulse doppler 3D radar and a digital fire control system. The Tor also incorporates an IFF antenna which operates using Advanced IFF. Later Iterations of the Tor (Tor-M2) can lock on to four targets at once and guide four, and later eight (Tor-M2E) missiles to them (Multitarget 4). The Tor requires 10 seconds (2 phases) to stop and fire a missile, with 5 seconds more time required for each additional missile launch. The Tor-M2E requires a much shorter 3-second stop to fire a missile, with similar times for firing additional missiles. The Tor’s radar operates with ECCM 1, but in particularly heavy ECM environments or for targeting stealth aircraft that the Tor cannot lock on to, the Tor has the option to electro-optically guide missiles (essentially, manual guidance). The radars and IFF antenna are normally folded down during movement, unless the Tor is actively tracking targets and needs to move at the same time.

     The Tor-M1V or later operates with ECCM 2 protection.

     The Tor-M2E may also be armed with 16 9M338 missiles, or eight of the original 9M331 missiles, or a mix of the two.

     Deliveries of the new Tor-M1-2U system are in progress as of January 2025; this system can fire on the move at a vehicle speed of 25 kilometers per hour (Combat Move 12, Basic Stabilization). The Tor-M1-2U is heavily automated and requires only a driver and two missile operators.

     The Tor system vehicle has an NBC Overpressure system and radiation shielding.

ZSU-23-4 Shilka

     Notes: The Shilka, as it is known to the Russian soldiers, is one of the most common self-propelled antiaircraft gun systems in the world, being used by over 25 countries in its 35-year history.  The chassis is shared by the BTR-50, PT-76, and SA-6 systems.  Despite its replacement in many countries by the later 2S6M, the Shilka was still preferred by many crews due to the massive volume of firepower it could produce, against air as well as ground targets.  The turret is known for its fast traverse rate and it was one of the first self-propelled antiaircraft guns to have radar direction for its weapons.  It is also equipped with an inertial land navigation system that greatly helps finding remote places.  Western soldiers often refer to this weapon as the “Zoo-23” or the “Zeus.” Variants of the Shilka are manufactured by several countries, most notably the Ukrainian Donets and the Polish Biala variants.

     The four 2A7 guns are liquid-cooled, and coupled with the RPK-2 Tolbol gun radar (NATO reporting name: Gun Dish).  Later some were modified to delete the radar equipment, and use the space to carry more ammunition.  An image intensifier was installed to aid in visual searches and targeting, and a passive IR viewer was installed for the gunner in night use.

     Starting in 1995, at first as an experiment, but later as a standard modification, ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" self-propelled antiaircraft guns were modified by adding a 3-round launcher for SA-16 surface-to-air missiles above the turret.  The missiles are aimed and launched from within the turret.  No reloads are carried within the vehicle, though often crates were carried on the rear deck or slung from the sides of the vehicle in the field.  Another similar upgrade attached a triple SA-18 launcher on each gun.

     The ZSU-23-4 is powered by a V-6R diesel developing 280 horsepower. Fuel tankage is large, and the Shilka can easily operate for long hours without refueling.

ZSU-57-2 Sparka

     Notes: This is an older anti-aircraft system consisting of twin 57mm S-60 autocannons mounted on a lightened T-54 chassis. Russia and most of the former Warsaw Pact employed the ZSU-57-2 at some point, as well as Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Syria, North Vietnam, and North Korea.  Most ZSU-57-2s have been put into storage or relegated to museums, displays, or ranges long ago. Some were converted into T-55 driver’s training vehicles, especially in the former Warsaw Pact, but even these were retired long ago. They were largely replaced by the superior ZSU-23-4 or missile-firing SHORAD platforms.

     The turret is open-topped and enlarged to accommodate the gun system.  The rear of the turret can be removed, which makes maintenance and removal of the guns easier. The open top of the turret can be covered by a special tarpaulin which has 16 plexiglass windows. There is a driver’s hatch on the left front deck (which is forward and to the left of its T-54 counterpart), and he is the only member of the crew to have complete armor protection. The driver is also responsible for actuating the fire extinguishing system. The hull is more spacious than its T-54 counterpart, due to the thinner armor and rearrangement of some equipment storage. The guns are S-68 autocannons, which are variants of the S-60 modified especially for use in the ZSU-57-2. The guns may not be switched on their mounts, as they are mirror images of each other and extensive rebuilding would be required to switch a left gun to the right mounting or vice versa. The guns may be elevated to +85 degrees and depressed to -5 degrees. Elevation and depression may be accomplished at a rate of 20 degrees per second, while turret rotation occurs at 36 degrees per second, using electrohydraulic drives. (In case of drive failure, manual cranks are provided, which may change elevation and depression at 4.5 degrees per second and turret rotation at 4 degrees per second.)  The guns firing together are capable of 240 rounds per minute, though a more practical ROF is 140 rounds per minute. These translate into a Twilight 2000 v2.2 ROF of 3 and 2 respectively.

     The guns are linked to an analog computer into which the target’s speed, direction and range.  This gathering this information and setting up the computer is the responsibility of the sight adjuster, who sits to the left of the guns at the rear of the turret. Though the sight adjuster has a collimator and telescopic gunsight, his settings for the computer are largely from estimation and experience. The guns are fed by 4-round clips, and two loaders are assigned to keep the guns fed. Their stations are on the left and right of the guns, forward in the turret. The gunner is on the left side of the guns in the middle of the turret.  The gunner may fire the guns with an electric trigger, which fires both guns, or by foot pedals, with which he may fire one gun at a time. The commander is on the right side of the guns in the middle of the turret.

     Except for the drastically reduced armor protection, the ZSU-57-2 is automotively almost identical to the T-54; however, the ZSU-57-2 chassis is a little shorter, with only four larger roadwheels more spaced out instead of the T-54’s five.  The engine is the same V-54 V-12 diesel engine with 520 horsepower, coupled with a manual transmission. The internal fuel tanks are large, but the engine can also feed from a pair of 95-liter external fuel tanks mounted at the rear of the hull.